THOUGHTS chapter 1 & 2
by troublewolf
Summary: Jack had trouble getting over the deaths of Owen and Tosh, but they do say family helps.


CHAPTER ONE

Jack sat in his office while Ianto and Gwen went Weevil hunting. He knew the two were worried about him, but there it was. The heart had gone out of him at the moment. Oh, it would come back, but how long do you grieve for friends who die, for brothers who kill and have to be killed? How long? Every day Jack fought the urge to use his wristband and call for a galactic pick up. To be gone and wander the stars. He's done it before. He'll do it again because one thing he has learned in his long life so far, is that running away is sometimes the only thing to do. But this time there were two people who relied on him. Both with lovely faces and wonderful eyes. Eyes that would accuse him if he left. No, he couldn't run this time. But he was having trouble with living, now.

A sudden sound halted his mussing. The kids were back!

Down stairs, Gwen was throwing something around and Ianto was yelling at her to calm down. Intrigued, Jack left his office and ventured out.

Gwen differently had her Welsh up. In fact, Jack thought, she was swearing in her local language. Something Gwen never did. But when Jack got a good look at her, he saw the reason for it. Gwen sometimes spent what she considered too much on clothes: boots and jackets mainly. Her latest spending spree had been a dark green leather jacket that costs, as she had put it, too many quid, that had four rips down each arm. Completely destroyed, it was. At the moment, she was pulling it off and stomping on it. Jack watched, fascinated. Then he suddenly burst out in laughter. This stopped her cold. She speared him with her dark welsh eyes, anger slowly replaced with humor. With a flourish she kicked the poor garment to the side and turned to Jack.

"So, you're back in the land of the living, now, you?" But her tone was cautious.

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I guess I am. Shoot me, bury me, stab me, I take a licking and keep on ticking." He ignored the eye roll from Ianto but he also caught the slight smile the teaboy had.

"I'm sorry, guys. Just had some things to work through." He acknowledged. "How was the hunt?"

"We got two who were chasing some lads." Ianto put in.

"Who doesn't?" Jack flirted a bit.

Suddenly the alarm sounded, the one that told them a stranger had breached the doors to Torchwood. All three grabbed guns and prepared to fire. But nothing showed up. Jack yelled at Ianto to shut it off and the younger man quickly did so. In the quiet, they looked at each other in surprise. Jack started checking the computers. While Tosh had been their expert, Jack had been around long enough to know how to handle them easily. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the hub at the moment, Then Jack decided to scan the lower levels. Still nothing, except on G level, the very bottom. Jack told the others and added. "We need to check this out. Arm yourselves."

Slowly they made their way to G level, pass the storage and vaults. Jack was in the lead, gun out.

"How deep does this place go, Jack?" Gwen whispered as they entered G level. The brick here was ancient, dirt filling the grout lines. Cobwebs filled the ceilings and corners, earning a look of distaste from Ianto in his nice suit. Jack and Gwen didn't pay it much mind. Then they rounded a corner and the tunnels lights flickered than died. In the dark, Gwen's voice was frantic as she called out Jack's name softly. But after the lights came back on, there was no answer and she got scared. Ianto had a torch going by then and both checked the level, every corner but no Jack. Ianto managed to get Gwen back up in the main hub but he was feeling frantic himself. Where had Jack gone? His Time Agent band no longer would transport, Jack had told him that himself one night. There wasn't any signs of rift action. Ianto decided to go back down after Gwen left and check for hidden passages. He had a hell of a time getting the Welsh woman to go home, telling her he was staying and manning the hub. She only agreed to go as she and Rhys were newly married and didn't get to spend much time together as it were. If she knew where Jack was, it would be different, but they didn't. so she went. Ianto waited an hour to make sure she wasn't coming back and then headed back down, loaded for bear, as Americans would say. He would find Jack if it took him all night!

Jack came awake with a howl, his lungs still burning. Wild eyed, he looked around fanatically but didn't recognize the room he was in. There was barely any illumination in the room but his eyes adjusted quickly. Four walls. Touch told him the walls were made of metal. No faint vibrations, so he wasn't on a ship of any kind. So where the heck was he? He gave a quick laugh, at least he wasn't buried twenty feet down. He was still dressed, but his gun was gone.

"Sorry, couldn't leave you armed." A man's voice came to him. Jack cocked his head. He didn't recognize it.

"Where am I?"

"Off Earth. We heard your pain."

"Well, send me back. I'll get over my pain in my own time." Jack growled. Jack seldom showed anger, true anger.

"That is impossible. We protect unique objects in the universe. You are unique."

"Unique? SEND ME THE HELL HOME!" Jack shouted into the darkness.

"Rest, Jack Harkness. Rest. We will visit again." Then what little light there was faded. As it did, Jack moved over to a wall and angrily kicked it. He felt his toe crumble in the boot but he ignored it, so angry he had gotten. More angry than scared. Later, fear might settle in, but not now. All he could think of were the two people he had been taken from. What would they be thinking right now? That he had gone off again? Abandoned them, again? He had promised both he would never do that. He had meant it too. So he raged for a few hours until his voice burnt out. Then he slumped down in a corner and buried his head in his hands. At least they could have put a bed in here, Jack thought but then he smiled. Only good thing was no concrete this time. That had been a really bad time, when he had been buried in concrete and Ianto, along with Gwen and Rhys had rescued him. They had literally broke him out, dropping the cell of concrete to the bottom of a quarry. Well, it worked, didn't it? As he sat in the darkness, he wondered if they would come now?

Ianto and Gwen were frantic. Jack was nowhere to be found. They had even called UNIT and asked. Ianto knew Jack would be furious with this but it was a last resort. But he wasn't anywhere they looked or asked. Both checked the hand, but it was still in its place, bubbling away. Jack was gone.

CHAPTER TWO

Jack ate whatever they gave him, somewhat tasteless food cubes. He did get them to bring a bed in so he didn't have to lay on the hard floor. In a fit of anger one day, he demanded to be told exactly why he was here. "Don't give that song and dance routine either!" He had shouted. Finally the voice said. "You are an anomaly. We collect such things."

"How long do you intend to keep me here?" Jack asked, his heart sinking, he knew the answer.

"How long will you live?" Came back.

Forever, Jack thought and sat on the bed. Over the next few food delivers, he didn't eat. He barely drank the water provided. Instead he lay curled up on the bed, sinking into a deep depression.

Jack didn't know how long he had been laying there, but suddenly he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, Jack! Being immortal must suck!" It was Hel!

Jack uncurled and looked around. She was standing at the head of the bed. "I had heard you went missing. The Misers have you. Miserable bunch of dandies. I convinced them they didn't really want you."

Jack then noticed how stained her clothes were, especially around her wrists. She saw this and sighed.

"Well, maybe convince is a bit over stated. But they broke the law, kidnapping a human, no matter how he is." She tugged at one shirt cuff. "I have leave to return you to Earth. Cardiff and the rift need you."

"Did you kill them all?" Jack asked quietly.

"All? No, I left enough to carry on tales about what not to do. Let's go." She reached forward and took his hand in hers. Then she touched her collar bone and light flared. Jack's eyes were dazzled and he couldn't make out anything until they were standing in his old office in the hub. A shocked Ianto was seated at his desk going over a stack of papers.

"Jack!" He shouted, jumping up. He noticed Jack's stained clothes with a frown.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea." Jack started, expecting Ianto to be mad had been gone. But the Welsh man ran around the desk and enveloped him in a huge hug. Then he noticed a grinning Hel.

"Who are you?" Ianto asked.

"My name is Hel. Jack was taken by the Misers, they were collectors." She explained.

"They were?"

"I pointed out their error. The council doesn't like aliens taking members of primitive planets. It upsets the future." She told him, not elaborating any.

Ianto looked at Jack with a question in his eyes. But Jack just shrugged. "I'm back now. How's Gwen?"

"She's checking out some small rift action."

"By herself?"

"Well, she called up that police guy she worked with, Andy?"

"He's a good kid. We might think of asking him to come over." Jack mused. Ianto rolled his eyes but kept silent, just glad his man was home. He turned to the woman. Giving her a close look, he decided she looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Is there coffee?" Jack asked hopefully. "I've been dreaming of your coffee."

Ianto gave a nod, "It's always on." He left to fetch it.

"Nice guy, Jack, been lovers long?" Hel asked, sitting on the edge of Jacks desk.

"A few months now."  
"It's those 51st. century pheromones, isn't it?" At Jacks look, she sighed and said. "I guess now's the time I told you the truth about me. And you, Blue."

Jack felt his world sway. He hadn't heard that name is hundreds of years. He was Jack now and always.

"Yes, Blue. I said it. I'm your elder sibling. Don't you remember my parting words?" she asked him. "They were a clue."

"But, there was only Gray and me." Jack said weakly.

"Your father had a different wife at one time. My Mother. They dissolved their bond right before you were born. I was taken off world. We should have stayed."

"But you would have been killed when we were over run." He protested.

"No, we wouldn't have. My Mother was a trained assassin, Jack. It was the reason your Father left her. He couldn't stand the thought of death. Though according to my Mother he was a good fighter, much like you are. You look like him." She offered. Right then Ianto came back, holding a tray with two cups of coffee on it.

He sat it on the desk, knowing something had happened while he was gone.

Hel stood up just as an alarm went off. Both men jumped and ran out of the office. Hel followed slower, curious.

In the main area, Martha Jones stood there backed up by dark suited forces.

"Welcome back, Jack." She said, although it looked anything but a welcome. Rifles were pointed at him and Ianto.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Jack asked, keeping his hands in plain sight.

"They're probably here for me." Hel said, coming around him. "This is the woman known as Martha Jones. Hey, Martha, the Doctor know what a lap dog you've turned into?"

"Martha's eyes turned cold as she said. "So, you know the doctor too? Where is he?"

"About now? The Elias sector, I think. Tracking down Pond's stolen child, I should think. Human, let me ask you this. Do you and your little company really think you know all there is to know about space? If so, ever hear of the Shadow Proclamation?"

Martha's eyes narrowed and she replied like she was in the know. "Yes, heard the Doctor mention it a time or two."

"Generally when someone did something wrong, am I right? Then know this. I am here on the council's business to return a human taken from Earth illegally. Unit has a problem with that, then try and take me. But you won't like the outcome."

"We have more fire power." A suited man said harshly.

Hel swung her attention to the speaker. Then she blinked and suddenly one arm elongated to a hollow sword. Jack recognized it but Martha didn't.

"Martha, don't push.." was all he got out before one of the suited men fired.

As Ianto and Jack ducked, Hel just laughed, then fired her weapon. Energy blasted out and knocked all the men to their knees. Martha felt herself knocked to her knees by a force she couldn't see. Then Jack appeared at her side and was lifting her to her feet.

"What was that?"

"It appears she is a Biomechanoid." Jack said. "Just be glad she only used a low power."

"How strong could it be?"

"She could have destroyed this whole building. Get your men up and out of here, Martha. I'll handle her." Jack told her.

"Jack?" Martha started but Jack stopped her with his next words.

"She won't hurt me. She's my sister. Now, go!"

Once the hub settled and became quiet, Jack dragged Hel and Ianto to the boardroom. Gwen came walking in, knowing something had happened, but she was so excited at seeing Jack that it was a while before she asked. After she calmed down, he introduced Hel.

"Kids, this is my older sister, Hel." Gwen's mouth hung open and so did Ianto's at this. They knew about Gray, but not her.

"I thought Gray was your only sibling, Jack?"

Jack stood with his arms crossed and hands tucked under his armpits, as he usually did when things were up in the air. "I… did not know of her until just recently." He told her.

"I left with my Mother about four years before the attack that separate Jack from our younger brother and killed out father. We have different Mothers." Hel spoke up.

"How…how did you do what you did?" Ianto hazard.

Hel, sitting on the edge of the table raised one arm and instantly it changed into a long sword.

"I had a few improvements added after John Hart killed my adoptive family. They've come in handy."

"But, to lose your humanity?" Gwen was blown away.

"I didn't lose it, welsh girl! I added to it. Do you truly understand what humanity is? What it becomes centuries after you are dust? Humanity is the actions, emotions you have, the memories. Not what flesh you wear. I've met robots more human than some naturals. I was raised to deal death, but I do so electively. I don't kill something just because it's alien. Or someone pays. Hart paid because of his crimes."

"Your family?"

"A whole ship. A whole ship of travelers just because he wanted a stone. This stone." Hel tossed the blue diamond toward Gwen. Jack's face was full of surprise when he saw it.

"He finally found it?"  
"He thought so. A legal trader was traveling on the ship. John stole the gem and blew the ship up to cover his tracks. My adoptive father got a message out, though, to me on Korlakan." Hel explained.

"What in the world were you doing on there?"  
"I told you, I hunted the Korlack's. Jack, that world suited me at this time."

"What happen to John?" Gwen innocently asked.

"I carried out the council's order. He lost his head. He wasn't as good with that sword he carried as he thought. Now, it's been real, but I need to go." Hel said, standing. She crossed over and hugged Jack.

"I'll see you sometime, baby brother." She stepped back and touched her collar bone. As the rift started opening, she smiled at Jack and said, "See you, Blue!" and winked out of sight.

Ianto and Gwen took a few seconds to realize what she had said.

Gwen went up to Jack and asked, "What did she mean by calling you Blue?"

Jack ignored her as he headed back to his office. Gwen gave Ianto a searching look. "What do you think she meant?"

"I..think that's his real name. His brother was called Gray, after all. Jack has the loveliest blue eyes too."

"He does. Think he'll admit it?"  
"Hel no." Ianto replied with a grin. He had coffee to make.


End file.
